The Bitter Cauldron
The Bitter Side of Sweet In 18th-century Barbados, sugar was made in cast-iron syrup kettles, an approach later embraced in the American South. Sugarcane was crushed utilizing wind and animal-powered mills. The extracted juice was heated up, clarified, and vaporized in a series of iron pots of reducing size to make crystallized sugar. Barbados Sugar Economy: A Tragic Success. The introduction of the "plantation system" changed the island's economy. Big estates owned by rich planters dominated the landscape, with oppressed Africans providing the labour required to sustain the requiring procedure of planting, harvesting, and processing sugarcane. This system created enormous wealth for the colony and solidified its place as a key player in the Atlantic trade. But African slaves toiled in perilous conditions, and many died in the infamous Boiling room, as you will see next: The Dangerous Labour Of Sugar In the glare of Barbados' sun-soaked shores and lively greenery li...